~/eventsevery edition, verified by hand
SAARathon
Saarbrücken, Germany
Also known as Sparkassen-SAARathon
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Preparing for SAARathon: Saarbrücken?
Race week. What the literature says, not a prescription: keep intensity, cut volume (Bosquet et al. 2007) · carbohydrate 10 to 12 g per kg of body weight per day for the 36 to 48 hours before an event longer than 90 minutes (ACSM, AND and DC position stand, Thomas et al. 2016) · 7 to 9 hours of sleep for adults (Hirshkowitz et al. 2015). Results usually appear on the organiser's page after the race.
About the event (2026 edition)
The third SAARathon is on Sunday 11 October 2026 in Saarbrücken: marathon 09:30, half marathon 10:00, 5 km 10:30, 10 km 10:45, start and finish at the Kulturbiergarten in St. Arnual, on the Saar riverbank. The marathon, which also serves as the Saarland championship, follows the Saar to the Völklingen Ironworks World Heritage site. There are also a half marathon, the 38th Westspangenlauf over 10 km, a 5 km run and a 1 km schools race. Starts run from 09:30 to 10:45.
Practical answers (2026 edition)
- What are the SAARathon 2026 distances and start times?
- On Sunday 11 October 2026 the marathon, which includes the Saarland championships, starts at 09:30, the half marathon at 10:00, the 1 km kids' run at 10:15, the 5 km at 10:30 and the 10 km Westspangenlauf at 10:45. All races start and finish on the Saar riverbank at the Kulturbiergarten Saarbrücken-St. Arnual, Koßmannstraße 35.
- Can I still register for the SAARathon, including on race day?
- Online late entries with payment run until 8 October 2026 at midnight, with an anonymous bib. From 9 October until 30 minutes before the start of your race you can register online or on site, paying cash when you collect your bib. Late entries depend on places remaining, as each race has a participant limit. These dates follow the organiser's German Ausschreibung and FAQ; its English page gives online late registration until 10 October at midnight and on-site late entry on 11 October only.
- Where and when do I collect my SAARathon bib?
- At the multi-purpose hall in St. Arnual, Scharnhorststraße 12, on Saturday 10 October from 14:00 to 18:00 and on race day from 08:00 to 09:30, according to the organiser's German Ausschreibung and FAQ (its English page gives Saturday 11:00 to 14:00 instead). Bring your bib number, which is published online from 10 October; the timing chip is built into the bib.
- Where can I park for the SAARathon, and how do I get there by public transport?
- Car parks are on the other side of the Saar, at the Römerbrücke power station (Straße des 13. Januar) and at Möbel Martin, An der Römerbrücke 8. They are open from 07:00 to 20:00, about 900 m from the start. The organiser recommends public transport: Saarbrücken-Ost station is 1.4 km away and the Saarbahn stop Hellwigstraße 1 km.
- Where are the SAARathon results published?
- From race day, all results and split times are published on saarathon-2026.racepedia.de/ergebnisse. Photos follow in the event's picture gallery in the days after the race, and every finisher can download a certificate.
- What are the SAARathon cut-off times and the entry fees now that pre-registration has closed?
- Cut-offs: 3:00 hours for the half marathon and 5:30 hours for the marathon, with intermediate times checked on the course; runners over the limit are taken out of the race and can ride the shuttle back to the finish. Marathon pacemakers cover finish times from 3:15 to 5:00. Pre-registration with a personalised bib closed on 27 September 2026 (on 28 September the racepedia portal read "Die Voranmeldung ist bereits geschlossen"), so late-entry fees apply: 45 euros marathon, 24 euros half marathon, 13 euros (adults) or 8 euros (born 2007 to 2014) for the 10 km, 8 or 6 euros for the 5 km and 4 euros for the 1 km, subject to remaining places (limits in the German Ausschreibung: 400 marathon, 1,300 half, 1,000 for the 10 km, 400 for the 5 km, 100 for the 1 km; the organiser's English page lists 400, 1,250, 700, 300 and 200).